Question Upgrading MB & CPU & OS — Win 10 Activation issues?

[GW1914]

Hello! I've been researching this matter and have run into so much conflicting information. Could I get some advice?

What I am trying to do:

Upgrade MB/CPU/GPU​

Reactivate my copy of Windows 10​

Then upgrade to Windows 11​

If I need to purchase another Windows key, that's fine - but to my understanding, it can transfer​

Current Setup

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770​

MB: MSI B85-G41 PC Mate​

RAM: 16 GB​

GPU: Radeon RX 570​

Windows 10 Pro (OEM)​

Potential New Setup

CPU: Ryzen 7 5700X​

MB: Gigabyte B550M​

RAM: 32 GB XPG Spectra D35​

GPU: Radeon RX 6600 ​

Windows 11 Pro​

My plan:

1. Install the MB/CPU (RAM, Cooler, etc) and the old GPU ​

2. Connect the SSD with Windows 10 on it.​

3. Reactivate Windows 10 (hopefully) since it will be connected to my Microsoft account​

4. Upgrade to Windows 11 (clean install - all data is backed up onto another drive)​

5. Then install new GPU and new drivers, update UEFI, etc​

What am I missing? Would this even work?

Thank you for your time!

GW

 

[Gururu]

Before you start make sure you link your copy of windows to your microsoft account (outlook hotmail, etc.). If you have a transferable account (retail purchase), you will be able to activate it once you do a fresh install of Win 10. Yes, you will likely have to do a fresh install of Win10... If you have a OEM copy of windows, you wont be able to transfer and need to purchase a retail version.

 

[SkyNetRising]

My plan:

1. Install the MB/CPU (RAM, Cooler, etc) and the old GPU ​

2. Connect the SSD with Windows 10 on it.​

3. Reactivate Windows 10 (hopefully) since it will be connected to my Microsoft account​

4. Upgrade to Windows 11 (clean install - all data is backed up onto another drive)​

5. Then install new GPU and new drivers, update UEFI, etc​

What am I missing? Would this even work?

1. Install the MB/CPU and the new GPU ​

Make sure TPM 2.0 is enabled, disable secure boot​

2. Connect the SSD and do clean install of windows 10 in UEFI mode​

Install drivers - chipset, lan, wifi, audio​

3. Activate Windows 10 using significant hardware change option​

(activation using significant hardware change may not work when going from windows 10 to windows 11)​

4. Upgrade to Windows 11 (inplace upgrade)​

5. Then reinstall chipset and GPU drivers.​

 

[GW1914]

1. Install the MB/CPU and the new GPU ​

Make sure TPM 2.0 is enabled, disable secure boot​

2. Connect the SSD and do clean install of windows 10 in UEFI mode​

Install drivers - chipset, lan, wifi, audio​

3. Activate Windows 10 using significant hardware change option​

(activation using significant hardware change may not work when going from windows 10 to windows 11)​

4. Upgrade to Windows 11 (inplace upgrade)​

5. Then reinstall chipset and GPU drivers.​

Thank you! This is very helpful 😀 Would this apply to an OEM version of Windows 10?

Like Gururu's reply (thank you!!) I'm unclear whether it's even possible to reactivate Windows 10 OEM after a hardware change (especially the MB & CPU). Since replacing a SSD or GPU doesn't affect the Activation status 🤷‍♂️

 

[SkyNetRising]

Thank you! This is very helpful 😀 Would this apply to an OEM version of Windows 10?

I'm not 100% sure, if reactivating will work with OEM license.
Make sure license is linked to your microsoft account.